AFFiNE
Open-source workspace for docs, whiteboards & AI
What is AFFiNE?
How to Use AFFiNE
Getting started with AFFiNE is straightforward whether you're managing personal knowledge or collaborating with a team. This guide walks you through setting up your workspace, creating documents and whiteboards, and leveraging AI tools to supercharge your productivity.
Create Your Account and Install AFFiNE
Visit affine.pro to sign up for a free account. For the best experience, download the desktop app for Windows, Mac, or Linux, which enables full local-first functionality with optional cloud sync across all your devices.
Set Up Your Workspace
Organize your projects by creating pages and folders. Use the sidebar for quick navigation, nest pages hierarchically, and link between documents to build a connected knowledge base. Customize your workspace with templates to match your workflow.
Create Documents and Whiteboards
Start a new document to write with rich text formatting, or create a whiteboard for visual brainstorming. Use slash commands to insert blocks like headings, lists, images, and tables. Embed whiteboards directly inside documents and vice versa for a dynamic interconnected workspace.
Use AI-Powered Tools
Highlight any text to access AI writing assistance, or open the AI command palette to generate summaries, improve writing, translate content, or create diagrams. The AI adapts to your current context and helps you work faster without leaving your document.
Collaborate with Your Team
Invite team members by email or share a link to your workspace. Edit documents and whiteboards simultaneously in real time, leave comments for feedback, and track changes through version history. Set granular permissions to control who can view, comment, or edit.
AFFiNE Core Features
AFFiNE Use Cases
- 1Personal knowledge management: Organize notes, ideas, and projects in one searchable workspace. The AI assistant helps summarize content, generate insights, and connect related concepts to build a powerful personal knowledge base.
- 2Team collaboration: Collaborate on documents and whiteboards in real time with your team. Assign tasks, brainstorm visually, and track changes with version history to keep everyone aligned and productive.
- 3Enterprise knowledge management: Deploy AFFiNE as a self-hosted knowledge hub with custom contracts, SLAs, and dedicated support. Maintain complete control over sensitive data while enabling organization-wide collaboration.
- 4Education and course creation: Create lesson plans, interactive whiteboards, and study materials. Students can access and collaborate on content while AI tools generate quizzes, summaries, and visual aids automatically.
- 5Research and documentation: Manage research notes, data, and findings with linked documents and embedded whiteboard diagrams. Use AI for literature review assistance, idea generation, and content synthesis.
Pros and Cons of AFFiNE
Pros
- Flexible all-in-one workspace: Combines documents, whiteboards, and AI in one place, eliminating the need to switch between multiple tools for different tasks.
- Privacy-first local architecture: Data stays on your device by default with optional cloud sync, giving you complete control over your information and peace of mind.
- Powerful integrated AI: AI tools are natively embedded into writing, drawing, and planning workflows rather than being a separate add-on, making them genuinely useful.
- Real-time collaboration with version history: Teams can edit simultaneously while version tracking prevents data loss, overwrites, and collaboration conflicts.
✕ Cons
- Steep learning curve: The breadth of features can overwhelm new users, and mastering the full workflow takes significant time and experimentation.
- Limited mobile experience: Mobile apps lack the polish and feature completeness of the desktop experience, making on-the-go productivity less reliable.
- Costly for larger teams: Team and Enterprise plans add up quickly compared to some competitors that offer flat-rate pricing with unlimited users.
AFFiNE vs Top Alternatives
| Feature | Notion | Miro | Obsidian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-first Storage | No (Cloud-only) | No (Cloud-only) | Yes (Local-first) |
| Native Whiteboarding | Limited (Database views) | Yes (Core feature) | Yes (Canvas feature) |
| Built-in AI | Yes (AI add-on) | Limited (Miro AI) | No (Plugin only) |
| Open Source | No (Proprietary) | No (Proprietary) | No (Proprietary core) |
AFFiNE Pricing
Free
- Unlimited local workspaces
- 10 GB cloud storage
- 7-day version history
Pro
- 100 GB cloud storage
- 100 MB max file size
- 30-day version history
Team
- 100 GB initial storage
- 500 MB max file size
- Unlimited team members
Believer
- Lifetime personal usage
- 1 TB cloud storage
- All Pro features
Enterprise
- Custom contracts
- Dedicated support
- Priority security review
- SLA agreements
AFFiNE FAQ
What is AFFiNE and how is it different from Notion?+
Is AFFiNE really free?+
Can I self-host AFFiNE?+
Does AFFiNE work offline?+
What kind of AI features does AFFiNE offer?+
Is my data secure with AFFiNE?+
What platforms does AFFiNE support?+
AFFiNE Review — Editor's Score
Who Should Use AFFiNE?
Privacy-conscious professionals, open-source enthusiasts, students, researchers, and teams looking for a self-hosted alternative to Notion or Miro. Ideal for anyone who wants a unified workspace without sacrificing data control.
AFFiNE is a bold, open-source reimagining of the productivity workspace that successfully combines documents, whiteboards, and AI into a unified canvas. Its local-first architecture and MIT license set it apart from proprietary giants like Notion and Miro, offering unparalleled data privacy and customization. While the learning curve is steep and mobile support lags behind the desktop experience, the generous free tier and powerful feature set make it an excellent choice for privacy-conscious users and teams. If you value data ownership and want a single tool for writing, brainstorming, and planning, AFFiNE is well worth exploring.
- Local-first architecture with optional cloud sync ensures data privacy and offline access
- Integrated whiteboard and document canvas eliminates the need for multiple tools
- Open-source MIT license enables self-hosting, auditing, and community contributions
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